Checking In on a Diner That Understands Social Media

Misty Young: "There was a bit of a power struggle going on."Credit Courtesy of Squeeze In.

Last fall, I blogged here about a small business in Reno, Nev. that takes social media very seriously. The Squeeze In restaurants, open only seven hours a day, just for breakfast and lunch, have been serving guests since 1974. It has four locations, with plans to open a fifth in San Diego next year, and it also happens to be one of the savviest users of social media that I’ve come across.

The chain has built a custom app for its smartphone users. It has a Facebook fan page and a Twitter account for each of its locations. A family business, it instructs its waitstaff to offer to take pictures of customers whenever they see a smartphone on the table, which is a great way to boost user-generated content about the brand. It uses Pinterest, Instagram, Foodspotting, Foursquare and Google+ to tease the taste buds of its customers. Its egghead breakfast club loyalty program boasts nearly 30,000 members.

It also has a branded YouTube channel, which is where its biggest growth online has occurred since I first wrote about Squeeze In. In fact, the owner, Misty Young, said YouTube has become the company’s main marketing focus. “We noticed a significant increase in traffic to our Black Eyed Peas parody music video, Omma Lette,” she said. “And we’ve seen a 20-percent jump in our traffic, from 42,000 views to over 64,703 views on YouTube.” The most recent video is a parody of “Gangnam Style” that is called “Omelette Style” and that attracted more than 5,000 views in the first 20 days.

Having the staff work together on the video, Ms. Young said, was great for morale and camaraderie — but the bottom-line results were even better. “We literally saw an increase in business of 28 percent the day after we posted that video on YouTube,” she said. The company is on track to produce $4.1 million in revenue this year, and it has grown to 100 employees.

The biggest change at Squeeze In, since my last post, has been in leadership. Shila Morris, who is Ms. Young’s oldest daughter, has taken over the day-to-day operations of the company. And Ms. Young is focusing on growth and franchise development. She has also introduced a consulting business, Restaurant Lady, to work with restaurant owners across the country. The change began last fall. “We had planned for a January takeover,” Ms. Young said, “but toward the end of last fall, it was clear there was a bit of a power struggle going on. Shila was ready to step up, and she did.”

The change freed up Ms. Young to pursue high-level projects. She published her first book, “From Rags to Restaurants: The Secret Recipe,” and has completed development of Squeeze In’s franchise platform, in preparation of a soon-to-come introduction of Squeeze In’s franchise program.

Melinda Emerson is founder and chief executive of Quintessence Multimedia, a social media strategy and content development company. You can follow her on Twitter.

What's Next

About

You're the Boss offers an insider's perspective on small-business ownership. It gives business owners a place where they can compare notes, ask questions, get advice, and learn from one another's mistakes. The blog also offers analysis of policy issues, and suggests investing tips.